Geer Box
One thousand, six hundred and thirty-one. That’s how many times KYKY-FM (Y-98) had played Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” through 9:30 a.m. June 12. That doesn’t include how many times it aired in the 24 hours after the St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup championship. Nor does it count how often other stations played it before, during and after the celebration, much less the victory parade on June 15.
While the late Ms. Branigan would be astounded to realize her song about “all those voices in your head” is now a permanent and happy earworm in millions of St. Louisans’ heads, a few other facts come to mind: Her 1982 Grammy-winning English version was the fourth of five versions of the song released between 1979 and 1983. The original version, by Umberto Tozzi, was recorded in Italian.
A gentleman named Jonathan King translated it into English a couple of years later. You might not recognize him instantly, but this British singer-composer had an American hit in 1965 with the quirky romantic ballad “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon.”
Indeed, Laura Branigan was already part of NHL lore. She sang the national anthem at the 1983 All-Star Game. She was part of Top 40 lore, too; “Gloria” debuted in June 1982, peaked at No. 2, and remained on the charts for 36 weeks. She even sang it in an episode of “ChiPs,” the cops-and-robbers series noted for Baker, Ponch, motorcycles, and a thumping disco soundtrack — a perfect fit indeed.
On Jan. 6, the Blues were in sixth and last place in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division, with 16 wins, 19 losses and four losses from shootouts and overtime. The Note faced the Philadelphia Flyers in a road game the next night. Meanwhile, a DJ at a Philly sports bar was playing “Gloria” over and over again as some Blues kicked back and relaxed.
Center Alexander Steen commented to defenseman Joel Edmundson: “Hey, we’ve got to take that song for us.” The Blues shut out the Flyers the following night, and Ms. Branigan’s voice was heard in the locker room for the rest of the season. The Blues finished the season 29-9-5, fifth best in the Western Conference.
Coincidence? Maybe, but ... assistant coach Craig Berube had replaced Mike Yeo, who was fired in November after a disastrous start. Jordan Binnington, who was signed to a one-year contract at the start of the season, had been called up in December. He was NHL Rookie of the Month in February and March, and notched a record for a rookie Blues goaltender with win No. 23 in April. (The Binnington Place billboard came later.)
Yet, I would agree with Jerry Beach, who wrote in Forbes June 9: “While ‘Gloria’ isn’t the usual us-against-the-world song used to an incite an arena, the disco-styled opening, gloriously ‘80s bombast and Branigan’s powerful voice all fit in well in a raucous environment, especially in the seconds after the final horn.”
After 1,631-plus times, Laura Branigan still sounds wonderful.
And more so come next season.